A Challenge to the Traditional View of the Beast of Revelation
The traditional view of the Beast of Revelation, as I understand it, is that the Beast is the personification of the antichrist. The seven heads, as I understand, are synonymous with seven of the horns after three of the ten have been plucked up or subdued.
Here is the common grace interpretation of the beast of Revelation as has been taught to me by many grace preachers:
Revelation 13:11-12, “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.”
To make all men see….. Ephesians 3:9
To make all men see….. Ephesians 3:9
Study Articles
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. Matthew 2:1,2
Each year at the Christmas season we hear renewed speculation about the identity of the star of Bethlehem. In fact, on a December trip to India (a largely Hindu nation), I was surprised to see an article in a local newspaper discussing all of the commonly held natural explanations for the appearance of the star that announced the birth of Christ.
Man has many explanations for the appearance of this star. Some say that it was a star gone nova and exploding in the heavens. Some say that the bright light was caused by a unique conjunction of planets. Still others opt for an explanation that involves a meteor or comet of some sort. As we shall soon see, none of these explanations are satisfactory and all of them fall far short of the true Scriptural description of the events that occurred in the heavens at the time of the birth of Christ.
In II Timothy 2:15 Paul the Apostle admonishes to “study” and “rightly divide” the word of truth. To carry out these admonitions we must identify certain starting points in scripture. These starting points and corresponding ending points allow us to make proper divisions in scripture.
Anyone who has ever opened a Bible knows of the division between the Old and New Testaments. While this division is the accepted norm for all believers and certainly appropriate for accommodation and uniformity, all true students of the Word must look beyond this simple designation to find God’s points of division to get things started right.
Many today reject any study of God’s Word because they believe that it is not relevant to their lives. In reality the God revealed in the pages of Scripture is the only source of life.
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; Acts 17:24,25
An understanding of and relationship with the God of the Bible is the only way to have a life of meaning and purpose. In Him alone we find, get, learn, and live LIFE!
Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 1:1-3
In the passage of Scripture quoted above Paul tells us that believers in the Age of Grace are “sanctified . . . called to be saints”. The names and titles by which God identifies an individual or group give us great insight into the role that that person or group plays in God’s plan and purpose.
There is perhaps no book in the Bible that engenders more debate and speculation than the book of Revelation. To understand the proper context of Revelation requires us to identify the seven churches in chapters two and three and the time frame in which those churches are addressed.
The fourth church to which John writes is the church at Thyatira.
And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
As we look around us today, we see a society that seems to be falling apart. The streets in many of our cities are becoming more and more like war zones. Confidence in our elected officials and other people in positions of authority are at an all-time low. Half of all marriages end in divorce which causes many children to come home to single parent families. Worse yet, many other children are in situations where they are abused in all kinds of evil ways. From the highest halls of government, to our own dinner tables, the evidence of a society in crisis is clear. Although the problems seem to be clear, the solutions to those problems seem to be complicated and illusive. Governments, schools, psychologists, social workers, etc., etc., all seen to be powerless to find a way to stem the tide of violence and hopelessness that afflicts our society today.
In the eighth chapter of Romans God offers believers some of the most comforting verses in all of His Word. These verses allow believers to face the trials and tribulations of life with confidence and victory. They are easily remembered because they all contain the number 8. These verses are Romans 8:18, 8:28, and 8:38.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
Today there are many opinions among believers as to how we should view our relationship with government. Some teach that we should have nothing to do with government and politics, but should concentrate only on “spiritual matters”. Others believe that Christians should become very politically active and “claim our government for Jesus” by reforming it from within. Still others see a virtual “holy war” of revolt against our government as the only way to rid ourselves of what they perceive to be the root of all evil in our nation. Obviously, all of these widely differing viewpoints cannot be correct. The Bible has much to say about the believer’s relationship to government. We need to not be confused about how we should relate to the governmental authorities that rule over us.